Starlight Ranch brings Tangled Lights to life for the holiday season
The Starlight Ranch will kick off its newest holiday attraction with Tangled Lights over the Thanksgiving weekend. The attraction will feature three Christmas light shows for the whole family to enjoy.
Bringing a unique and interactive experience to Amarillo, Tangled Lights will feature a hanging pixel garden with 4,000 pixels held together and more than four miles of cables strung together to create a two-hour run of distinctive light effects set to music. There will also be a larger light show every hour on the main stage, which will feature Christmas music with more than 200 pixel sticks and over 200,000 lights that will bring dazzling displays as light-animated characters speak and sing.
On the Moon Palace stage, Santa himself will entertain the crowd with the ability for the audience to participate interactively by changing the lighting for the show. Santa’s searchlight will also allow visitors to search for items for Santa. Hot chocolate will help top off the colder nights, with adult beverages available as well. Multiple food trucks will be on hand to keep families fed, along with holiday vendors.
Bobby Lee, co-owner of the Big Texan and the Starlight Ranch, said that he got the idea for the lights show at his venue while watching “The Great Christmas Light Fight” on television and seeing a local resident featured on the show.
“A couple of years ago, I saw this show about the best decorated Christmas homes in America, and when I found out that one of the finalists was from Amarillo, I said that I have to meet this guy doing the show here,” Lee said. “I got a chance to meet him and told him I have this big park up here and I would love for you to take this show to the next level and bring it here. And lo and behold, three years later, here he is with a magical show.”
Lee said that there will be all kinds of activities, including food and fun for the entire family at this event.
“It's a completely different type of Christmas entertainment that Amarillo has never seen before,” Lee said. “I think it will be really fun, and I think people will never forget it once they have seen it. I think it's fun for families to be able to explore all the great holiday options we have in this city. I just got back in town, and this show looks better than I ever imagined.”
He said that he expects about 500 people to visit the first weekend at the Starlight Ranch for this event based on ticket sales.
“This really looks great; I believe it will be a fun show,” Lee said. “I think everybody will enjoy it. I think kids will love the interactivity of the show. If the people enjoy it, we want always to do it bigger and better.”
Andrew Wilhelm, the owner and producer of Tangled Lights Productions, said that it is incredible to see his vision brought to life at Starlight Ranch.
Wilhelm said his love of Christmas lights began at age 4 when he saw a light show in Nazareth, Texas.
“I told my parents I was going to do that, and you know, parents looked at 4-year-old me and were like, I am sure you are,” Wilhelm said.
Starting with unplugging and plugging in Christmas lights to music, Wilhelm expanded to more than 5,700 hand-controlled Christmas lights in their living room. After having the lights kicked out to the yard, Wilhelm, at 13 years old, created his first computerized light show, which led to him getting an appearance on the Christmas lights TV show in 2021 and now putting on this show for the Starlight Ranch.
“The support from friends and family has been so amazing to help me get this prepared for the holiday season,” Wilhelm said. "I am so excited to welcome Amarillo into Tangled Lights at Starlight Ranch; we want to provide an experience like no other for the holidays.”
Wilhelm said that designing the main show for this venue was exciting for him, but he is most excited about the hanging pixel garden, which features 4,000 pixels strung from the ceiling to the floor, which creates three-dimensional effects set to music. The interactive station to help control Santa’s show is a favorite for him as well. An explanation station will also be available to educate children, young and old, about the process of lighting.
“It is so amazing; we started designing this park in July of 2022, and finally seeing it out here in real life, it is just as I imagined it would be,” Wilhelm said. “Just seeing all the lights on, I am just so excited for families to come out and enjoy this with one another.”
Tangled Lights will run through Dec. 30. Tickets are $13 for general admission, with children under 3 getting in free. For more information and showtimes, go to their website online at https://tangledlightsproductions.ticketspice.com/tangled-lights-productions-starlight-ranch?t=TLP .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Starlight Ranch to feature Tangled Lights holiday show
